Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five Bonus Edition: A Tribute to Billy Paul

As if losing Prince on Thursday wasn't hard enough, now one of my favorite soul singers in Philly native Billy Paul has passed away at the age of 81.  For years, I only knew about three songs of his--one of which was his most popular in the 1972 across-the-board smash hit, "Me And Mrs. Jones".  However, around the time that my fascination with everything Philly soul began in 2003, that's when I doubled up and purchased two of his greatest hits albums because 1) many of his full-length albums were either hard to find or out of print and 2) one album had one or two more songs that the other didn't.  Although he had a very unique delivery, his jazzy style on songs like "Ebony Woman", "Love Buddies", "Let's Fall In Love All Over Again" and "There's a Small Hotel" always put me in the mindset of smoky nightclubs, stiff drinks and a grand piano.  Spending the first 13 years of his recording career working with legendary producers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, they crafted their sound around what he did best and didn't try to make his music sound too much like the rest of the Philadelphia International Records roster.  That's a huge amount of the reason why I fooled with him so tough because he wasn't like anyone else that they had in their stable of greatness.  So to pay tribute to his legacy, I present an impromptu "Rave & Favorite Five" celebrating Paul's music...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: The Gifts of Prince, Part 2

If I may be so bold as to make the following statement, then this might be the "Rave & Favorite Five" that I hate to do the most.  Not because I take any issue with (now) the late, great Prince's illustrious catalog full of masterpieces.  It's only because outside of my all-time favorite three songs of his, I abhorred bumping out or excluding other faves like "Scandalous", "Insatiable", "The One", "Take Me With You", "Purple Rain", "Diamonds and Pearls", "International Lover", "Raspberry Beret" and "Little Red Corvette".  I mean, that was just ten songs right there and there are plenty more where that came from because Prince just made that much dope music.  Furthermore, it was even more difficult leaving off "Computer Blue"--a song that transforms around the 1:45 mark into one of the most awesome portions of music that I've ever heard and that has subconsciously inspired a significant amount of my style as a music producer.  Bloviating aside, it's called the "Rave & Favorite Five" for a reason and, thus, I continue with the second and final part of "The Gifts of Prince" that unveils the five gifts/works of art that he left with me--and perhaps many of you as well...

New Problem Tuesdays Special Edition: The Gifts of Prince, Part 1

In the days and weeks leading up to the news of the sudden passing of world-renowned singer, musician, producer, writer and overall kick-butt human being Prince, two things took place.  First, Mrs. Scribbler and I were having issues with our home Wi-Fi for over a year and an Xfinity technician finally came out about two weeks ago and fixed the problem: he gave us a brand new modem with two networks, which she named after two of her favorite Prince songs of all time.  Second, I was in a CVS Pharmacy a few days before and "Kiss" was playing overhead.  I stopped what I was doing and said to myself, "Now I've always loved this song, but for whatever reason, it's just jamming a little harder today than normal."  So when the word on the street was that he died, I immediately thought it was a hoax.  No way could we as 80s babies lose Michael Jackson in 2009 and Whitney Houston in 2012, only to turn around and bear the thought of losing another one of our childhood heroes.  Not to mention that in a four-month span of losing the likes of Natalie Cole, Maurice White and Phife Dawg, Prince just seemed like exceptionally cruel and unusual punishment.  However, when more and more news outlets confirmed the initial reports, I was deeply saddened as if I had lost my favorite uncle in the whole wide world as I continued to be in utter disbelief.  So instead of getting into conspiracy theories about his life or death as some have questionably done, I have dedicated this post to outlining what I believe to be some of Prince's most generous and memorable gifts to us as fans of his work and fellow artists...

In Heavy Rotation (April 2016)

The beauty of a being a perfectionist is that you're always figuring out ways to produce a better product while fine tuning it along the way.  Originally, the intent of "In Heavy Rotation" was less about a standard album review and more about sharing what I was listening to within a given month.  However, I have decided to tweak the format just a wee bit to make it one part sharing, one part specific showcasing and all parts dope music, and I wholeheartedly believe that the new structure will guide this series in a direction closer to who I am as a person and an avid lover of music.  Without too much rambling as I'm prone to do occasionally, time to roll out the new-and-hopefully-improved "In Heavy Rotation"...

Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport, Part 2

Six days ago, we witnessed one of the most memorable and historic nights in "The Association".  In Oakland, two historic moments occurred: 1) the Golden State Warriors soundly defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 to become the first team in NBA history to record 73 wins, besting the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72-10 record; and 2) Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make at least 400 three pointers in a single season (402).  Down the coast in Los Angeles, five-time champ Kobe Bryant brought his illustrious 20-year career to an end by being the first player in NBA history to play 20 years for the same team as well as the first to score more than 50 points (60) in his final game on the way to overcoming a ten-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz, 101-96.  After those two big games and reading Part 1 of this two-part series, O.G. Buddy of the Blog Country sent me an email that said, "Kobe went out to 60 and steph hit 73 w and 402 threes...Is that not enough to pull you back to basketball lol?"  I responded, "Still not kinging it over football, but it works for now LOL!"  As much as I loved seeing such a momentous occasion happen, Bryant and Curry are bookends of sorts as the former signifies remnants of a golden era while simultaneously ushering in a certain attitude in a newer one while the latter embodies certain fundamental elements while epitomizing how the game of basketball has transformed.  So what exactly do all of my convoluted observations mean?  Well, in the second and final part of "Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport", I shift focus from my personal connections to my observations of the game itself...

Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport, Part 1

So early last week, Big Little Brother Scribbler sent me a text saying that he was on his way to Houston for the announcement of Allen Iverson's possible induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame along with four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal.  When he mentioned those names, it reminded me of two things: 1) being happy when the Sixers took Game 1, but being disappointed when the Lakers swept the rest of the series; and 2) when basketball was still competing with football as my favorite sport.  Although Michael Jordan had retired for the second time in 1998, Dominique Wilkins (my favorite player of all time) retired a year later and Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were on the downside of their careers, the new breed that included Iverson, O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were keeping the party going.  However, somewhere along the way, I stopped watching as many regular season games because 82 games just became too much to follow and I simply focused my energy on the playoffs--treating what was once my favorite sport with the same attentiveness that I give the MLB.  So what made me trade in what seemed to be an undying love for basketball for just a casual and sometimes strong like?  Well, in the first of what has become a two-part series, "Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport," I will discuss the more personal reasons why I am no longer as smitten with hoops as I was in the 80s, 90s and early 00s...

Scribbler's Late AF Post of the Week: In Heavy Rotation, March 2016

Before finalizing the "In Heavy Rotation" post for this month, I had two other artists in mind and only four in total.  Upon the passing of music icon David Bowie, whose artistry I have always had a profound respect for, I wanted to do a review of his posthumous album released earlier this year, Blackstar.  Another person whose name has been popping up consistently on my Facebook timeline is West Coast hip hop artist Locksmith, but it's been more for his series of freestyles that have been flooding the Internet.  Nevertheless, I was interested in giving his 2015 studio release, Lofty Goals, a shot.  However, with the recent resurfacing of Tweet and the rise of newcomer BJ the Chicago Kid, it seems like R&B is beginning to have a resurgence of sorts.  Thus, I wanted to make this month's edition a somewhat-impromptu tribute to R&B/soul music in all of its different representations while implementing a new facet of "In Heavy Rotation" with my "Throwback Pick of the Month".  The beauty of this month's post is that although it's music under the umbrella of a particular genre, these artists embody the age-old adage, "No two snowflakes are alike."  Also, three out of five of these picks came highly recommended from social media and beyond, so I wanted to show love to my friends and fellow music lovers to let y'all know that I respect your musical palates tremendously.  Go time...

The American President: Donald Trump & The Societal Exposé, Part 4

YouTuber Tashya Tummings had perhaps one of the most interesting quotes of the year on the sneak: "The more public you are, the less talent you have."  If that's the case, then Republican presidential candidate and famed businessman Donald Trump is the most talentless hack in the 2016 presidential election.  Even with the candidates remaining on the GOP side, Senator Ted Cruz or Governor John Kasich aren't the "sexy picks" because they aren't as entertaining as Trump.  Sure, they could write tangible policy in their sleep with their hands tied behind their backs, but because Trump and Cruz have been too busy taking shots at each other's wives and giving news outlets even more fodder, nobody cares.  With the help of the media, Trump has effectively turned the GOP debates and town halls into nothing more than reality television for politics without having any teeth to his bombastic claims of making America "great again".  With that said, Trump isn't a lone ranger when it comes to giving the people what they want.  The difficulty in filling an arena with people interested in watching a science experiment versus the ease in packing those same stands with football, basketball or boxing fans immediately comes to mind.  It's not to devalue the greatness of sports or entertainment because, obviously, I have made a living from writing and discussing those things ad nauseam.  Nevertheless, when Americans turn on their televisions, log into their social media accounts and turn on their radios and media players, they often want a show, not a lecture.  Hence, in the fourth and final installment to "The American President: Donald Trump & The Societal Exposé", I will manifest the last reason why he is merely a byproduct of a society that routinely values style over substance...